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  • Publication
    Pharmacognostic Evaluation of Zingiber Officinale and Curcuma Longa from Perlis for Therapeutic Discovery
    The medicinal properties of a plant are sought after for its potential therapeutic properties. Through its phytochemicals, numerous biological activities have been reported scientifically and were developed as an active pharmaceutical ingredient for biological products. Hence, this study evaluated the locally produced Zingiber officinale and Curcuma longa obtained from Padang Besar, Perlis, for their pharmacognostic properties. Quality control assessments were conducted to determine the cleanliness of the raw materials before proceeding with the pharmacognostic evaluation. The extracts for both plants were prepared through ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) and maceration using methanol, ethanol, and distilled water. The phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and protein for each extract were investigated. The total phenolic compounds revealed that the combination of UAE and methanol had the highest value for both plant samples. On the other hand, the total flavonoid content suggests that UAE in ethanol solvent was the best approach to extract flavonoids for both plants. On the contrary, maceration techniques extracted the highest protein content for both plants. The biological testing for therapeutic evaluation based on the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay unraveled the methanol UAE was the potent extract for Z. officinale and C. longa, with half maximal inhibitory concentration, IC50 values of 0.39 and 0.32 mg/mL, respectively. Altogether, the findings obtained from these studies showed that Z. officinale and C. longa from Perlis showed good quality conditions, high content of phytochemicals, and potent antioxidant properties suitable for further herbal drug development studies.
  • Publication
    Valorization of Momordica charantia seeds into phytogenically synthesized silver nanoparticles for the protection of oyster mushrooms against Trichoderma pleuroticola
    Green mold caused by Trichoderma pleuroticola is the most invasive disease of oyster mushrooms, causing massive losses worldwide. Herein, we valorized food waste, the Momordica seed extract (MSE), into silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-MSE). The synthesis parameters were optimized, and the biogenic AgNPs showed a remarkable antifungal activity against T. pleuroticola. Quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that the MSE was rich in bioactive compounds. The highly stable AgNPs-MSE was synthesized under the following conditions: MSE–AgNO3 ratio, 5:95; synthesis time, 9 min; temperature, 60 °C; and pH, 8.0. The UV absorption spectra showed surface plasma resonance peak at 428 nm, confirming the presence of spherical nanoparticles. FTIR spectra ascertained the involvement of phytoconstituents in the MSE during synthesis, and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a face-centered cubic (fcc) crystalline structure with an average particle size of 11.34 nm. HR-TEM analysis corroborated the spherical shape, with a nanoparticle size of 8.0 nm. EDX analysis revealed the presence of silver, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine in the AgNPs-MSE, which was further substantiated by XPS analysis. A zeta potential of − 29.7 mV and PDI of 0.144 revealed the good stability and uniformity of the synthesized AgNPs-MSE. The optimized AgNPs-MSE exhibited a potent antifungal activity against T. pleuroticola at 300 ppm in vitro. SEM and TEM analyses of AgNPs-MSE-treated T. pleuroticola showed hyphal system breakage and leakage of cytoplasmic contents that leads to cell death. Therefore, the use of the AgNPs-MSE as a nanoparticle-based fungicide has the potential to effectively control T. pleuroticola for oyster mushroom protection.
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